A long-running Southwold mystery has been solved - thanks to a Journal reader.

Organisers of the Southwold Arts Festival were preparing for an exhibition on illustrator Reg Carter when they ran into a problem.

Having managed to track down 11 pieces of original artwork from his Sorrows of Southwold and Southwold Railway series, they found they were one short.

But after issuing an appeal for information in the Journal, the final piece of art has been located – in Berkshire.

It is owned by Graham Jenkins, who lives in Wokingham - and he has agreed to loan it to the exhibition so that this previously missing artwork can be shown at the festival.

It was previously owned by Southwold resident Peggie Jenkins, and inherited by her nephew Graham when she died.

Mr Jenkins has had the artwork cleaned and framed ready to go on display at Buckenham Art gallery from June 27 to July 7.

And it was Mr Jenkins’ sister Jean Dwyer of Westleton who saw the article in the Journal and got in touch with him about the hunt.

Mr Jenkins, 68, said: “I was delighted to learn that there is to be an exhibition of Reg Carter’s varied works including the humorous post cards of Southwold railway.

“As a young child in the 1950’s I regularly spent my summer holidays at Southwold with my family, staying at my grandparents shop at 92-94 the High Street.

“During these stays I was fascinated with Reg Carter’s work - especially the drawing of a suffragette throwing a live bomb at the Southwold railway. “It came as a surprise that the exhibition organisers were looking for the drawing that I inherited from my Aunt - I plan to loan the drawing to them for the period of the exhibition.

“Although the drawing no longer resides in Southwold but in Berkshire I feel it is very much at home and provides fond memories of my father’s family, who did so much for Southwold, and the happy days I spent with my parents, sister and cousins in Southwold during summer holidays.”

Chris Ure, one of the exhibition curator’s said: “Thanks to the power of the press the missing suffragette original artwork has at last been located! It will be a great addition to our diverse exhibition of Reg Carter’s work which will also include items from the D C Thomson archive in Dundee for whom Reg provided illustrations for the Beano for many years.”